Opinion

It was recently reported that nearly four times as many law enforcement officers died of COVID-19 from 2020-21 than were killed in the line of duty. Although law enforcement won’t release the vaccination status of these officers, it is safe to say that the vast majority of the 550 or so officers who have died of COVID during this pandemic were unvaccinated.

I’ve been often saddened by the actions of the Spokane Police Department and by the actions of the local business folks who support the further victimization of homeless people in Spokane’s downtown. Our police chief’s silence surrounding last week’s episode of a Spokane cop's unethical behavior is thunderous.

Nov. 15-21 marks our country’s seventh National Apprenticeship Week (NAW). The week is traditionally celebrated with proclamations, showcase events, outreach and education activities and registered apprentice profile stories of success.

As a low-ranking veteran of the Vietnam War who came home to suffer the scorn of many of my fellow citizens for about a decade, I stand with Hazel Hoeft's repudiation of attempts to remove Ensign John Monaghan's statue from downtown Spokane ("Monaghan was a hero," Nov. 11), precisely on all of the grounds that she raises.

I want to thank the Review for publishing the Nov. 6 article on COP26.

Washington’s public school employees — from the bus driver and food service workers, to classroom teachers and administrators — continue to perform some of the most challenging work in our communities, amidst the most difficult of circumstances.

It is disappointing to see Sue Lani Madsen inexplicably use a whole column ("Wide use of electric vehicles? We aren't there yet," Nov. 11) to discourage electric vehicle adoption — essential for energy independence and avoiding climate disaster — with scary tales of how one could become stranded or be forced to wait hours to charge their car. It’s even more disappointing that she did not bother to fully learn about the topic first.

Referencing Adam Shanks’ November 9 article ("City moving forward with Fish Lake Trail connection"), there’s already a decent bike connection to the Fish Lake Trail from the Centennial Trail/Sandifur Bridge via Riverside to Government Way.

As of Sept. 17th, the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) reports more than 726,960 worldwide adverse events following the COVID shot, including 15,386 deaths and 66,642 hospitalizations!

The United States is under attack by a vicious enemy. It has killed over 755,000 of our citizens so far, and will kill more. This enemy is COVID and its delta variant. We can fight back or roll over. Our weapons to fight are getting vaccinated and wearing face coverings. Let's defeat the enemy.

If there’s a new edition of Webster’s dictionary coming out looking for a definition of cherry-picking, I’d nominate the guest opinion by Kimberly Craven and Priti Laselle ("Fluoride stands out as safe, effective, important health tool," Oct. 17) supporting water fluoridation.

Great to see America’s infrastructure get a major shot in the arm. Thanks to Senator Cantwell for her hard work on writing and passing this bill. Exciting to see lead pipes will finally be replaced, public transit improved, including passenger rail, along with insuring broadband internet access for all Americans. This legislation with benefit commerce and take some steps towards equity in safe water and internet access.

Long before Betsy Wilkerson was a member of City Council she was, and still is, a businesswoman who owns and operates group homes. Good people with disabilities live and thrive in these homes. It was in this capacity that Betsy Wilkerson, when asked by the police to supply security footage from one of these homes, responded in a responsible way, protecting her clients’ privacy rights. She asked for a warrant before she released the footage.